Preparing for deer seasonI got a shock while walking through our yard last week. I thought I saw flashes of red where there had been none before in the brush along the margin of lawn. A closer look revealed ripe red salmonberries! I’m talking about the third week of June here. We don’t usually expect to see such treats until early July. The warm weather and dry spell have dramatically accelerated the pace of plant growth on Kodiak this ye...

VA reps meet with local veteransRepresentatives from Veterans Affairs visited Kodiak and Old Harbor last week, toured the Kodiak Area Native Association facilities and met with local veterans. KANA president and chief executive officer Andy Teuber said KANA provides VA services in Kodiak, since there is no VA hospital locally. He said there are about 1,400 veterans in Kodiak, and they were invited to KANA last week to hear from the VA. “Mutually...

DOT releases fall and winter ferry schedule for commentThe Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has released the anticipated fall and winter Alaska Marine Highway System schedule pattern for public review. From October to late March, the Tustumena is slated to be in Kodiak three to four times a week with twice weekly stops in Ouzinkie and Port Lions. The Kennicott would continue a similar schedule while the Tustumena is in overhaul from late March...

City Council approves road repairsThe Kodiak City Council chose to postpone a resolution that if passed would have supported a Congressional bill governing subsistence determination, and authorized repairs to the most worn sections of Mill Bay Road. The road has extensive wear and tear in numerous places, and the city got started on repairing it last year when they cut off the tops of the humps on the worst areas and smoothed over the road with a ...

Kodiak Post 17 clashes with two squads in Anchorage Kodiak Post 17 started its road trip by going 2-2 against two squads from the interior over the weekend in Anchorage. The Bears split with Fairbanks Post 11 in a pair of American Legion baseball AA league games, dropping the first contest 16-15 on Friday and winning the second 5-3 on Sunday. On Saturday, Kodiak topped Fairbanks Post 30 11-7 and fell 13-3 in the nightcap. Post 17 stands at 6-2 in league and has acc...

Poor parental guidance led to Kodiak cab driver’s killingA little background story on Managing Editor Roni Toldanes’ article about Phosavan Khamnivong’s conviction of 77 years. My family rented to the Hemingways in about 1988 and to the Khamnivongs in 1997. In 1997, Mr. Khamnivong, the father, had just become a U.S. citizen. It was a high point in his life. I was over at their trailer working on the furnace in October. Mrs. Khamnivong, who did not speak much English, se...

Thomet concludes KHS running career Levi Thomet concluded his Kodiak High School running career with a stellar performance at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships on Friday at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Thomet, a recent KHS graduate, finished fourth in a loaded 5,000-meter with a time of 14 minutes, 56.06 seconds, which was well short of his personal-best of 14:41.25 that he produced in a sixth-place finish at last year’s junior cha...

Invasive species week is ending, but stay aware, experts sayInvasive Species Awareness Week ends on Saturday, but the Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District is continuing efforts to keep track of and control the spread of invasive species in Kodiak. Orange hawkweed is the most widespread problem, Brown said, and it’s the most visible around town. The orange flowering plant can be seen along Rezanof Drive and in other areas. Blythe Brown, KSWCD’s programs coordinator, ...